Luis Palomino Vs Efrain Escudero Added To Packed Cfa 12 Fight Card Oct12 In Coral Gables At Bankunit

MIAMI - Oct. 8, 2013 - PRLog -- Tickets are on sale at Ticketmaster.com

Media credential application available by e-mailing: cfa@cfafights.com

Miami, Fl.—Former CFA featherweight champion Luis Palomino (21-8) and UFC veteran Efrain Escudero (20-7) has now been added to the Championship Fighting Alliance’s CFA 12 fight card as the night’s co-main event at Coral Gables’ BankUnited Center for CFA 12 Oct. 12 airing live on AXS TV.

In the night’s televised main event, CFA flyweight champion Josh Sampo (9-2) will put his gold up for grabs as he meets CFA newcomer Sam Thao (7-1).

Moreover, CFA 12 will also feature the all women’s tournament finals with Fallon Fox (3-0) and Ashlee Evans- Smith (1-0) for the CFA women’s featherweight title and $20,000.

Tickets for the nationally televised event, which will air on AXS TV, start at $29 and go on sale Friday, September 6 at all Ticketmaster locations, Ticketmaster.com, charge-by-phone at 800-745-3000 and

via http://www.cfafights.com

The live show will air on AXS TV, a network operated by entrepreneurs Mark Cuban and Ryan Seacrest, starting at 9 p.m. ET. Doors open at 6 p.m. ET.

CEO of CFA Jorge de la Noval said the fight between Palomino and Escudero is a battle that will make headlines the next morning.

“These are two veterans that will deliver a knockout performance,” he said. “Palomino is coming off a victory, while Escudero has back-to-back wins. The winner of this fight can really make a major statement in the sport, so a lot is on the line for both of these athletes.”

Escudero will be making his second CFA appearance. He made his debut back at CFA 2 in 2011 when he defeated UFC fighter Mike Rio via decision. He is coming off victories against Zack Surdyka last month and Marcus Edwards in June.

Palomino defeated Robert Washington via first round in May at CFA 11. The Peruvian fighter will be making his sixth appearance for CFA.

Also on the card, Torrance Taylor (12-7-1) meets Yoisdenis Cedeno (8-2) for the vacant CFA lightweight title; Valdir Araujo (13-4) vs Romario Manoel da Silva (6-3-1) for the vacant welterweight title; Jason Jackson (3-1) vs Hayder Hassan (4-1); Michael Trujillo (4-3) vs Sabah Homasi (5-4); Wascar Cruz (2-2) vs Bentley Syler (1-0) and Felix Penalvers (2-1) vs Leo Valdivia (1-2).

“This is a powerful fight card that promises to deliver. It will have the entire country talking,” said CFA CEO Jorge de la Noval. “Our main event features our flyweight champion Josh Sampo versus newcomer Sam Thao,

who will become a major star in mma. Plus, who can forget about Fallon Fox and Ashlee Evans-Smith. It is an unpredictable fight for the inaugural CFA women’s featherweight title and $20,000.”

Sampo (9-2) defeated Alexis Vila at CFA Night of Champions in January for the flyweight title coming in as an underdog. The top ten-flyweight fighter proved critics wrong as he submitted the former Bellator fighter in the fifth round. The top ten flyweight trains at St. Charles MMA in Missouri and has also defeated top contenders like WEC/UFC veteran Antonio Banuelos.

He took time off to focus on his studies earning a master’s degree in education, but is ready to defend his title for the first time.

On the other hand, Wisconsin’s Thao (7-1) is being eyed as the future in the flyweight division. Although he hasn’t competed since October of 2012, when he defeated Nate Williams via decision, Thao is ready for action and is looking forward to make an impact in mixed martial arts. The young flyweight fighter has earned four knockout victories.

The 5’7” undefeated Fallon Fox (3-0) fights out of Midwest Training Center in Chicago. To advance to the finals, she submitted Allanna Jones in the third round at 3:36 at CFA 11 in May. She held an undefeated record as an amateur (3-0) with all victories coming via submission. Prior to defeating Jones, she defeated Ericka Newsome in the first round. Fox made sports history as she disclosed being the first transgender athlete in Mixed Martial Arts.

The 5’8 undefeated Ashlee Evans Smith (1-0) is a four time All-American in college wrestling. She has a 5-4 record in amateur MMA. In the past, she has trained with UFC fighter Mark Munoz and currently trains at Subfighter MMA with coach Adam Lynn. She won the 140-pound belt from Tuff-n-Uff. She was also a tri-state champion in California, Washington and Oregon from 2002-05. In the opening round of the all women tournament, she defeated her former MMA coach Tori Adams via decision. Smith received a bye in the semifinals.

(CARD SUBJECT TO CHANGE)

ABOUT CFA

Championship Fighting Alliance (“CFA”) is a Florida based enterprise working to raise awareness of Mixed Martial Arts (“MMA”). Over the years, MMA has moved from an emerging athletic genre to a mainstream sport.

MMA is breaking all stereotypes with its fan base and is quickly being embraced by a much larger and more diverse audience. CFA has been awarded as top MMA promotion in Florida.

About BankUnited Center at UM

The BankUnited Center, an 8,000 seat multipurpose entertainment facility located on the University of Miami's Coral Gables campus, hosts concerts, family shows, trade shows, lecture series, sporting events and the University of Miami men's and women's basketball teams. For more information call 305-284-8686 or

visit http://www.bankunitedcenter.com/

The BankUnited Center is located at 1245 Dauer Drive, Coral Gables, FL 33146.

About AXS TV Fights

AXS TV Fights is renowned for its universally recognized Friday Night Mixed Martial Arts and Kickboxing events. As Your Home For MMA, AXS TV utilizes an expansive network of promotions from the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia to broadcast more LIVE fights than any other television network. "The Voice" Michael Schiavello and five-time MMA world-champion Pat Miletich provide viewers expert play-by-play, in depth fighter coverage and extensive analysis to each fight card. AXS TV broadcasts world-class LIVE fight events from Legacy Fighting Championship, Resurrection Fighting Alliance, Lion Fight Muay Thai, Titan Fighting Championship, Xtreme Fighting Championships, Maximum Fighting Championship, Championship Fighting

Alliance and BAMMA every Friday night, at 7PM PT/10PM ET.

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